It’s extremely difficult to accept, but he must resign from the contracts because of his wife’s harsh comment against the Calgary Flames head coach.
The troubled head coach of the Calgary Flames, Bill Peters, announced his resignation on Friday amid a flurry of controversy surrounding claims he had physically abused players in past roles and used racial insults.
At a press conference in Calgary, general manager Brad Treliving announced the development, stating that Peters had sent him a letter of resignation earlier in the morning on his own volition.
Treliving told reporters, “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my career.”
“The subject matter we’ve been dealing with over the last few days is difficult; it’s hard, and it does not in any way reflect the core values of the Calgary Flames.”
Although Bill Peters’ time with the Calgary Flames came to an end on Friday with his resignation, the story is far from over. CBC Sports For the most recent on Bill Peters, see Devin Heroux.
As the acting head coach, Geoff Ward will assume the role. While Peters was sidelined pending inquiries into the claims, Ward served as interim head coach. On Wednesday, he guided the Flames to a 3-2 victory over Buffalo in overtime.
“It’s going to take a little while to sink in for me,” Ward remarked following Calgary’s first home practice following the start of the controversy.
“I’m still in shock over it. All other matters must take a backseat as we attempt to prepare for our game against the Ottawa Senators.
Following Akim Aliu’s tweet on Monday night claiming that he was called a racial slur by a former coach in 2009–10 while playing for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, Peters resigned.
In his writing about the alleged coach involved in the situation, 30-year-old Aliu, a player of color, mentioned Calgary’s airport code “YYC” but never mentioned Peters by name.
Then, on Tuesday, former NHL defenseman Michal Jordan claimed that during their time together with the Carolina Hurricanes, Peters had kicked him.
In a letter to Treliving on Wednesday night, Peters expressed regret.
Aliu did not make reference to Peters’ letter in his apology; on Thursday, he issued a statement on Twitter labeling Peters’ letter as “misleading, insincere, and concerning.”
Following a protracted procedure that included inquiries by the Flames and the NHL, Peters resigned.
“If I’ve not met anyone’s time agenda, I apologize, but it was more important to make sure we got all of the information,” said Treliving.
The claims made against Peters, he said, were “repulsive” in his personal opinion, but a fair investigation was necessary.
“I know everybody wants a really quick gavel to come into play,” Treliving stated. “We had to make sure it was done thoroughly.”
